This is the first time I’ve incorporated a lot of SS work into my base training and I’m pretty impressed with the results so far. I’ve doing a modified version of SSB High Volume where I do a few of the weekday TR workouts and mix in my own stuff trying to match TSS and time in zone targets. I finished SSBHV1 and I’m a couple weeks into HV2 and I’m already seeing a level of endurance I didn’t see all last year.
I typically do a 5+ hour ride on Saturday and that ride is a good barometer for my fitness. Today’s ride was over 5.5 hours, 330 TSS, 4138 Kj, and NP @ 76% of FTP. Those are really good numbers for me, and the best part is that I felt really strong at the end. If my build cycle can add some additional top end and watts @ ftp without the whole thing imploding, I’ll be a really happy camper.
If you are currently on the fence considering SSB and haven’t done it before, I’d highly recommend giving it a try. I’m not sure if the gains I’m seeing are because SSB is “better” or maybe I’m just seeing strong adaptations because it’s different from what I’ve done in the past. Either way, it’s worth a shot if you haven’t tried it before.